Not Goth, Redondo Beach, USA

I can’t remember exactly how the idea for Thirty Voices came up – I can only recall it was during one of the many online chats I was having with Stacy.

Thirty Voices not only gave me the chance to connect on a regular basis with women in my age group around the world, but it also gave me a chance to grow a bit as a person. Having to commit and be responsible for something on a regular basis without being able to slack off or give up enabled me to prove to myself I could do it. Thinking up challenges, writing posts made me use my brain for something creative – when my everyday job forces me to be the opposite to think laterally and technically.

The biggest thing though I think is the friends I have made through this site. It’s hard to think that a year ago, the blogging friends I have made through the site weren’t part of my life. I can’t imagine not going through my list of blogs I read (not every day sadly but at least once a week) and finding what is going on in Hong Kong, Colorado Springs, Thailand, Chicago, Belarus, Santa Monica etc. And that would have never happened if it hadn’t been for Thirty Voices.

I can not express how grateful I am to every single person who has contributed to the site in the past year – thank you for being part of something that started off as a little idea and became so much more. I really will miss you all.

I have been thinking long and hard about the last posting challenge and I have failed to come up with anything. Perhaps that shows a lack of disclipne on my part, I am not sure. It certainly made me think thought about rules and resolutions. Resolutions aren’t normally my thing. They always seem like you are setting yourself up for failure. However this year I have decided to give them another go. Perhaps the fact I have written them here for the “whole world” to see will shame me into completing some of them.

Less than two months ago I was in the UK visiting family and friends on my annual trip back. It was, as always, wonderful to see everyone even to catch up with friends that I haven’t seen since I moved here in 2001 but reconnected with thanks to Facebook. One of the weird and sad things I noticed this time about going back was how out of touch with British culture and society I have become – flicking through magazines I had no idea who any of the celebrities where, even worse I barely knew what was going on politically. Just doing simple things like getting on a bus – something I did multiple times a day when I lived there, I had to ask for instructions.

1. Write my book on Los Angeles. I have this idea for a guide book on Los Angeles that I think is a little bit different – problem is everytime I sit down and start work on it I get so overwhelmed by the volume of information to convey without boring my reader to death, I freak out and end up doing something else.. like dossing on Facebook. I really need to just take it Bird by Bird.

2. Make a difference or change. Homeless people, old people being lonely, animals being abused and abandoned, children not getting the basic needs in life, global warming – these are the things that keep me awake at night. I don’t know how but I would like to do something to make a dent in these horrible things.

3. Stroke a giraffe. Have you ever stroked a giraffe? Aside from being one of the most visually stunning creatures to grace the planet, they are super soft, like a kitten. I have once – a long, long time ago at zoo in England. Most zoos do not let you stroke them (they don’t like it much sadly, plus the risk of passing on diseases) but for my 33rd birthday in 2006 my boyfriend and I went to San Diego WildLife Park. We did the special photo safari where you get to feed a rhino and touch one (rock hard skin like cement) and also feed a giraffe! Possibly one of the happiest days of my life.